JULIET {remus lupin}

SEVENTY ONE

December '78

Regulus and Ophelia Rosier sat in silence on the Hogwarts Express. He had cried saying goodbye to Juliet, and wanted to beg her to come with him. She was staying at Hogwarts, only she and Arabella were out of all of Slytherin. 

Ophelia was resting her head against the window, her eyes empty, sighing every so often. She had been pondering her old friend's choices, were they more likely to survive this war than her? Juliet had always been brave, speaking when she shouldn't, sticking up for what she shouldn't, and standing up to who was, by rules, superior to her.

She supposed she deserved the happy ending more than herself.

Both Ophelia and Regulus had received a letter from their parents, they had received a mission, it was just the two of them going on it, and both parents had expressed the importance of it being completed. They were happy in tone, though, this was their big chance. Their way to prove themselves.

"Do you even know how to kill someone?" Ophelia had asked, breaking the long silence.

Regulus looked at her incredulously, never had he spoke so candidly about such matters. When he realised she was being serious he pondered his next words, realising there was no benefit to lying.

"Yeah," he sighed, closing his eyes and being suddenly thankful that Juliet wasn't there. "My father made me practice on animals. I don't know if I'm strong enough for another wizard."

"A muggle?"

He groaned. 

"I don't know."

"If you could?"

Regulus met the witch's eye, expecting it to hold suspicion, instead, there was a hint of pity.

"I don't know if I could either," she said quietly. "Evan wrote to me a few weeks ago, killed his first muggleborn. Someone our parents went to school with. A Hufflepuff."

He sighed, Evan had been a best friend to him in childhood, of sorts.

"This is so fucked," was all he said.

"I know. We're still in school. We're all meant to be."

The pair was met by Orion Black in King's Cross, and apparated straight to Malfoy Manor, no words being exchanged. They were marched through the main foyer where various groups were gathered. Regulus caught the eye of a blonde witch and Narcissa gave her cousin a pitying look from her place at the table where she sat with Lucius.

"In here," Orion said, guiding the pair to a smaller room, Tom Riddle sat at the head of a table, Evan Rosier to his left, Severus Snape to his right. 

"Sit," Orion said, taking a seat himself.

Regulus refused to look at Ophelia, she too obliged and sat beside her brother, who did not say a word to her.

"My Lord," she said quietly, bowing her head.

"Children," he smiled, his face more contorted than the last time Regulus had seen him. Every time, he changed.

What was happening to him?

"Tell me, Regulus, what went wrong with Juliet Romilly?" The man asked, smiling a little.

The pair had been careful in Hogwarts, Juliet had an enchanted map, from somewhere (he suspected from his brother), they met where no Slytherins would see them and told no one that they retained any sort of contact, only Arabella Greengrass knew.

"We broke up, my Lord." He said, acting as if he did not understand the question.

The man laughed at that, "her loyalties, I mean."